


Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces (here comes the sun)

by sixteenhands



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Phones exist y'all- use them!, Spoilers for Episode: s03e05 Jolene, Stop leaving Jeremy out please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 05:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15924068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixteenhands/pseuds/sixteenhands
Summary: And like the snap of a rubber band, it all came back to her. She gripped the edge of her desk, knuckles white. Waverly’s beautiful face, forlorn and grief-stricken. The way her voice had shuddered, stumbling over a response to Nicole’s harsh rebuke. Her trembling fingers, reaching across the front desk of the Sheriff’s station, with her reach unanswered. The moisture gathered in the corners of her red-rimmed eyes. Oh God, she’d made Waverly cry.Unacceptable. What the hell, Haught?Nicole quickly pulled her phone from her desk drawer- she had to fix this, immediately.- or -Nicole and Waverly making their way from Jolene to their 'sorry party'.Featuring: A vengeful cupcake demon, Wingman-Jeremy, sad Waverly, and an apologetic redhead in a world where the Wynonna Earp characters actually use their phones!





	Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces (here comes the sun)

**Author's Note:**

> Another Jolene fic, just what no one asked for. 
> 
> This kind of writing is new to me, but I couldn't get this out of my head.

An hour after Waverly left the station desk, Nicole began to come back to herself. Why had she raised her voice like that? Yes, the Earp girls could be a bit self-absorbed, and yes, she occasionally got frustrated with them leaving her out- but yelling at Waverly wasn’t the way to bring herself further into the fold. Nicole knew that. She would never…

And like the snap of a rubber band, it all came back to her. She gripped the edge of her desk, knuckles white. Waverly’s beautiful face, forlorn and grief-stricken. The way her voice had shuddered, stumbling over a response to Nicole’s harsh rebuke. Her trembling fingers, reaching across the front desk of the Sheriff’s station, with her reach unanswered. The moisture gathered in the corners of her red-rimmed eyes. Oh God, she’d made Waverly cry.

Unacceptable. What the hell, Haught?

Nicole quickly pulled her phone from her desk drawer- she had to fix this, immediately. 

 

Nicole: (12:47am) Baby, I’m so sorry. I was awful, I never should have said those things to you, not like that. 

Nicole: (12:52am) Can I please come see you? Are you at the homestead?

Nicole: (12:59am) I’m coming out there, okay? Please let me see you. 

 

And then, Jolene. 

Jolene who actually seemed to think she could convince Nicole that Waverly wasn’t the axis upon which her world spun. That she wasn’t luscious, and funny, and hot as hell, and everything Nicole could ever want; plus everything she never would have considered wanting. She was the sun, a beacon of light shining in the darkness of Purgatory. Magical baked goods and a stolen leopard print coat don’t stand a chance against a love like that. 

Needless to say, the rejection did not go well.

Which is how Nicole ended up with a bruise around her neck and knocked out in her girlfriend’s closet. 

Awesome day.

 

When Doc finally freed her from the closet –oh, the irony- she was sober, sore, and incredibly worried. 

 

Nicole: (04:14am) Jolene’s the demon- you were right not to trust her. Are you okay? Has she hurt you?

Nicole: (04:15am) Please, please be okay.

Nicole (04:16am) Waves...

Waverly: (04:33am) We’re coming home… are you still there?

Nicole: (04:33am) Waverly! Of course I’m still here. 

Nicole: (04:33am) Are you alright? 

Nicole: (04:34am) Can I wait for you, please?

Waverly (04:40am) Yes, please. 

 

Nicole waited on the porch of the homestead, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her uniform-issue jacket (it’s warm, if a little bulky), calming herself by rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. It was a nervous habit she developed as a child- one Waverly had picked up on. One she would help calm with a gentle hand against Nicole’s thigh, palm sliding up and down the outside of her leg, moving to the tempo of Nicole’s rocking until her mind would quiet and her nerves would subside.

Oh, Waverly. Sweet, caring, loving Waverly.

Nicole was pulled from her reverie by two pairs of headlights. Wynonna pulled the red jeep into its usual spot next to the house and helped Waverly out of the passenger seat. Michelle quickly exited Wynonna’s patched-up pick up, now parked next to the jeep, and went to envelop her daughters in a tight embrace.

As soon as she saw her, Nicole wanted to rush to Waverly and wrap her up in her own arms. But she saw how her love clutched at her mother and older sister. Nicole could tell that as much as she wanted to be near Waverly, right now Waverly needed different arms to hold her close.

So Nicole did what she always does; she stood still, for Waverly. She let Waverly come to her, when she wanted. If, she wanted.

Waverly looked up at Nicole from her Earp embrace, eyes mournful.

Oh, Waverly, Nicole thought once again. How did we let this happen to you?

Waverly’s eyes held Nicole’s gaze. And the longer it went on, Nicole swore she could see the melancholy begin to fade. Just a little. Waverly was looking at her as though just her presence were giving her something she’d been missing.

Was that hope she saw take root in those hazel eyes?

It was Wynonna who broke the silence, twisting her neck (while still holding Waverly firm) to see what her baby girl was staring at. “Haught. You alright?”

Nicole continued watching Waverly. “Working on it, Earp.” 

Wynonna looked back at Waverly. “Yeah…” She turned her head back to Nicole. “Give us a few minutes, okay? Then I promise, you guys can bang yourselves back to normal. Minimal heckling.”

That broke the spell. Waverly snorted, then let out a laugh. It wasn’t her normal bell peal giggle, but it was a laugh. Her lips turned up into a tired smile as she looked from Wynonna back to Nicole. She wasn’t shining, but she didn’t look quite so burned out anymore either.

The sun was going to rise today.

Nicole felt a small smile on her own face in response. “Sure thing, Earp.” She then looked at Michelle, clearing her throat and straightening her spine. Finally she looked back to Waverly, speaking only to her. “I’ll be right upstairs, okay?”

Waverly gave a small nod, hope shining a little brighter in her eyes.

 

Nicole made her way upstairs to Waverly’s room, pulling out her phone as she went.

Nicole: (05:26am) Hey Jeremy, are you up?

Jeremy: (05:26am) NICOLE, THANK WONDER WOMAN YOU”RE OKAY! I’ve been trying to get ahold of ALL of you guys for the past like 30 hours. Where the heck have you been?!? 

Jeremy: (05:27am) I thought maybe something had happened, but I didn’t feel anything in my totally, uh, normal place, so I though maybe you guys were just blowing me off?

Jeremy: (05:27am) But you guys would never do that, because we’re buds! Purgatory gays and all!

Jeremy: (05:27am) So is everyone okay? Please tell me everyone is okay.

Jeremy: (05:28am) . . .

Nicole: (05:28am) Jeremy.

Nicole: (05:28am) Everything is okay, or it will be.

Nicole: (05:29am) I’m sorry, Jeremy. We didn’t mean to exclude you. But take my word for it- you didn’t want to be in on this one.

Nicole: (05:30am) Definitely not vegan. I don’t think I’ll ever eat scones again.

Jeremy: (05:31am) Scones?

Nicole: (05:32am) Sorry, not the point.

Nicole: (05:32am) I have some serious groveling to do with Waverly. Can you use my spare key (in that super secure place I showed you) and grab a box from my coat closet at home? 

Nicole: (05:33am) It’s labeled, “Sorry Party Supplies”.

Nicole: (05:34am) And maybe bring it to the homestead later this morning? And maybe you could grab some flowers from, somewhere?

Jeremy: (05:35am) You’re really giving me unrealistic expectations of my future (hopefully!) boyfriend, Nicole. You just keep stuff on hand, in case you maybe upset your girlfriend?

Jeremy: (05:35am) I mean, really. Damn unicorns. But, Robins can be magical too, right?

Nicole: (05:36am) Jeremy, please. She needs us.

Jeremy: (05:37am) Of course, sorry. Focus, Jeremy! 

Jeremy: (05:37am) Anything for Wayhaught.

 

Nicole put her phone on her (still hers, right?) bedside table and removed her coat and hat. She sat on the edge of the bed, holding her own hands and listening for the sound of soft footsteps up the stairs. Wynonna was easy to clock, clomping around with no regard for anyone who might be sleeping (or decidedly NOT sleeping) on the second floor. But Waverly was more difficult to get a bead on, her lithe grace apparent in the most mundane of movements.

So Nicole waited for the faint sound of her girl climbing the stairs, to her.

Waverly would come to her, when she wanted. If, she wanted.

And she did.

 

The sun was just beginning to peek through the window when Waverly tentatively opened the door to the bedroom. Nicole stood up immediately, rocking back and forth as Waverly shut the door and leaned against it. She stared at the tips of her shiny (now scuffed) metallic boots, shoulders hunched inward, holding herself around the middle. God, she looked exhausted. Exhausted, and lovely as always. 

Nicole stood as still as she could. She waited until Waverly’s eyes tracked along the worn carpet to her own bouncing boots, up her long body, until they finally came to rest on her own face. A moment passed, and slowly Waverly let go of her own elbows.

“Hi.” She spoke softly. Her eyes glistened as her lips turned up slightly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Nicole stopped rocking. She held Waverly’s gaze. “There is no where else I’d rather be, Waves.”

Waverly sniffled quietly, her body opening a little further, her muscles relaxing, though still straining against obvious fatigue. “Yeah?” She whispered.

“Of course, baby.” Nicole answered earnestly. “As long as you want me, remember?”

Waverly let out a sob, a small, but shining smile lighting up her features. She pushed off the door. “Can I..?”

Nicole was there in an instant. She wrapped her arms around Waverly’s torso, pulling her close, and nuzzled her cheek against the youngest Earp’s temple. For her part, Waverly seemed just as eager to have Nicole in her space, thin arms reaching up to clutch the redhead’s shoulder blades. They held each other for a long while, breathing one another in, memorizing how a breath or a heartbeat felt against their own skin. 

Nicole didn’t want to ruin their moment of solace, but she knew they had to. Draw the poison from the bite quickly, save a life. 

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I hardly know what happened.” She said, bringing her hand up to stroke Waverly’s flowing hair. (Honestly, how did she find the time to do keratin treatments with their absurd schedule?) 

Waverly pulled back slightly. Not enough to relinquish her hold, but enough to look into Nicole’s warm brown eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. She manipulated you. She manipulated everyone.” She paused, took a breath, and cast her eyes downward. “She manipulated me too.” Waverly buried her face in Nicole’s chest, exhaling forcefully. “And it was balls, and it sucked, but it’s over now.” She looked back up at Nicole’s face to find her girlfriend’s brow furrowed, looking like she wanted to argue the point. 

Waverly brought her right hand to Nicole’s chest, sliding in upwards until she could halt the argument before it began with a soft finger against Nicole’s lips. “I promise, baby, I promise we will talk about this, later. I will tell you what happened and how we, well, I, fought her off. And you’ll tell me how you realized you were being an asshole influenced by demony-treats, and we will have a big old sorry party, I promise. And…” Her hand trailed down to stroke the light bruise forming around Nicole’s neck. She gasped, “Oh God, did she do that to you?” 

Nicole shrugged lightly. Waverly pulled back even further, narrowing her eyes. Expecting answers. Nicole sighed, bringing Waverly in closer. “I thought we were going to talk about all of that later?”

Waverly narrowed her eyes further. “Give me the Cliff Notes then.”

Nicole felt a small smile begin to take shape. “You hate Cliff Notes. You said they are ruining text analysis and the development of critical thinking skills. You said…” 

Waverly cut her off with a playful glare. “Weren’t you just groveling a minute ago? I think I preferred that. Go back to the groveling.” She leaned in and lightly kissed the blooming bruise, laying her head against the warm skin of Nicole’s collarbone. Thank goodness for uniform dress code violations. “Or better yet, give me your 10th-grade book report on what happened and then lay down with me?”

Nicole smiled –a real, dimple popping grin- and kissed the side of Waverly’s head. “I can do groveling.” She kissed down to the soft skin below Waverly’s ear while she began to maneuver them to the bed. “Never very good at book reports, though. Always got in trouble for going too in-depth.” She kissed the hinge of Waverly’s jaw, pulling back to encourage her to lie down on the soft duvet. “One teacher even suggested I use Cliff Notes as a guide to organize my summaries.”

Waverly looked horrified. “They did not!” 

Nicole laughed softly, so grateful to be here, arguing about proper educational tools with her brilliant, wonderful, passionate girlfriend. They always came back to each other.

She lay down next to Waverly, nuzzling her cheek with her nose and breathing her in. She pulled back. “Oh they absolutely did. But, never mind all that. If we’re having our sorry party later, I’ll just say this for now…” She rested their foreheads together, closing her eyes and tangling their fingers. “I love you, Waverly Earp. And no cupcake-wielding demon will ever make me doubt that.” She ran her nose up along Waverly’s own so she could place a gentle kiss on her brow. “And I’m so sorry for hurting you, no matter the cause or catalyst.” Finally, Nicole moved down to press her lips gently to Waverly’s own, pushing every ounce of devotion and admiration she felt for the small woman as she could into their meeting. “And I am so, so glad that you’re alright.”

Waverly drew a shaky breath as Nicole pulled away.

“Working on it,” she said. She reached up to cup the redhead’s jaw, running her thumb across her cheekbone, a gentle grin playing on her lips. It wasn’t quite her blinding sunshine smile, but she was glowing more luminous every moment. Nicole knew she would keep breathing the daylight back into her skin, until she came back to her radiant self. 

What a privilege to love this woman. To watch the sunrise. 

They still needed to talk about it all: Waverly’s decent into melancholia and self-loathing; Nicole’s rejection of Jolene and subsequent rescue by Bulshar’s ring; how Waverly nearly succumbed to the demon’s gaslighting; not to mention Nicole’s terrifying admission about her school years (Cliff notes, really?). 

They still needed to have their sorry party and air out all their feelings, carb-induced or not, because they meant it when they said no more secrets. 

But at that moment, both were content to just lay tangled up together, fully clothed, and soak up the presence of the other to heal the hurt they had felt. 

The light outside the window grew brighter with each of their shared breaths, but neither could bring themselves to care. After such a dark night, it felt extraordinary to bask in the sun’s warm glow, together.

 

end.


End file.
